Bank Grant Helps Pay for Renovations to Peabody Art Center

Northeast Arc Executive Director Jerry McCarthy (far left) and Day Services Director Tim Brown (far right) thank Laura Kurzrok, Executive Director of the Eastern Bank Charitable Foundation, and Paul Kurker, Senior Vice President at Eastern Bank, for a $15,000 grant the Foundation recently awarded to the agency for renovations at its ArcWorks Community Art Center at 22 Foster Street in Peabody. Opening since 2011, the Art Center is an inclusive art center serving children and adults with and without disabilities.

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Gerard McCarthy, Executive Director of Northeast Arc, is pleased to announce that the Eastern Bank Charitable Foundation has awarded a grant of $15,000 to the nonprofit, earmarked for renovations at the agency’s ArcWorks Community Art Center at 22 Foster Street. The gift, combined with support from the City of Peabody and another private foundation, will help fund the construction of three new art studio/classroom spaces at the Center.  

“This grant from the Eastern Bank Charitable Foundation has allowed us to kick-off the second phase of our renovations to our Community Art Center,” said McCarthy. “The first phase involved turning the building’s lobby into an art gallery and an office into a gallery shop, and as a result we’ve been able to feature the work of hundreds of local artists. This next phase will allow us to expand our offerings at the Center, creating a dedicated jewelry studio and other flexible studio space for mediums like leathercraft, other textile work, painting and the like.”

The ArcWorks Community Art Center opened in March of 2011 and is an inclusive art center serving children and adults with and without disabilities. It is a cultural resource for residents and part of the City of Peabody’s economic development initiative. The site also houses Northeast Arc’s chair caning, shredding and recycling operations, which provide jobs for people with disabilities.

“What Northeast Arc has done with the Community Art Center in just a couple of years is impressive,” said Laura Kurzrok, Executive Director of the Eastern Bank Charitable Foundation. “The gallery shop, art exhibits and the variety of art classes they host are really contributing to the revitalization of downtown Peabody, which has become a priority in the city. We’re happy to support them in those efforts.”   

Additional work planned for the ArcWorks Community Art Center includes renovations to the restrooms to increase handicapped access and capacity in general, and HVAC improvements. To support the project, contact Northeast Arc Director of Development Susan Ring Brown at srbrown@ne-arc.org or 978-624-2487.

The mission of the Eastern Bank Charitable Foundation is to contribute, in a meaningful way, to the health and vitality of the various eastern Massachusetts communities served by Eastern Bank Corporation. This is done through financial support to selected nonprofit organizations operating within these communities.

About Eastern Bank
Founded in 1818 and based in Boston, Eastern Bank is the largest independent and mutually owned bank in New England, with $8.6 billion in assets and more than 90 branches serving communities from the Merrimack Valley to Cape Cod. Eastern Bank offers banking, investments and insurance all under one roof, and prides itself on working harder to understand its customers’ needs so it can deliver these services in a committed and personal way. Eastern Bank includes Eastern Wealth Management and Eastern Insurance. For more information, visit www.easternbank.com, www.facebook.com/easternbank and www.twitter.com/easternbank.

About Northeast Arc
Northeast Arc was created in the 1950s by parents of children with disabilities who rejected the assumption that their children should be institutionalized. Now serving over 7,000 people annually in more than 150 Massachusetts cities and towns, Northeast Arc is dedicated to helping people with disabilities become full participants in the community, choosing for themselves how to live, learn, work, socialize and play. The agency does this through a variety of programs, including Autism Services, Day Habilitation, Deaf Services, Early Intervention, Employment Services, Family Support, Personal Care Assistance, Recreation, Residential and Transition services. The agency also runs the ArcWorks Community Art Center on Foster Street in Peabody. Northeast Arc is the largest Arc in the state of Massachusetts and the 4th largest Arc in the country. For more information, visit their website at www.ne-arc.org or find them on Facebook at www.facebook.com/northeastarc.